The Cause for the Beatification of Brother Louis Camilleri FSC will be initiated this coming Sunday, 31 March during a ceremony held at St. John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta.

During the ceremony, Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna will proclaim Bro. Louis as a “Servant of God”.

Bro. Louis died aged 87 in 2011 and dedicated his life to Christian education as a De La Salle Brother.  He hailed from a humble working-class family in Zurrieq and survived persecution in France while attending his novitiate during World War II, having joined the De La Salle brothers aged 14.

Upon returning to Malta, Bro. Louis dedicated his teaching career to the dockyard apprentices, who attended De La Salle College in Cottonera, before taking on leadership roles at De La Salle College, Stella Maris College, Gżira, including St Benild’s School, Sliema, and the Brothers’ Novitiate in Mellieħa.

 

He is known by generations of teachers, parents and students who came in contact with him and who were influenced by him on both academic and spiritual levels.  He initiated the Signum Fidei fraternity – an association of lay people who live by the spirit of the founder of the Lasallian community, St John Baptist de La Salle – in 1981. 

The Cause of Bro. Louis’s Beatification is being led by Bro. Rodolfo Meoli, Postulator General of the Congregation of the Brothers of Christian Schools, assisted by Vice-Postulator, Bro. Saviour Gatt. This is the first step which is conducted at Diocesan level. The next and further steps of the Cause will be taken up, once that of the Malta Diocese is eventually concluded, by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, in Rome.

 

It is only possible for this process to start so soon after Bro. Louis’ death because of a reform that Pope Francis implemented wherein the minimum time to have elapsed from a person’s passing for the beatification cause to begin was reduced from 35 years to 5 years, so that those whose lives were affected by the said person may come forward as witnesses to the person’s cause. 

All those who came in contact with Bro. Louis during his life, including former Dockyard apprentices, former students at the colleges, teachers and other collaborators and who wish to be present on Sunday for this unique event in the history of the Lasallian community in Malta are asked to send an e-mail to [email protected].